The role of gender in perception of pain intensity in people with chronic pain

Background and Aim : Pain intensity perception in people with chronic pain is influenced by various factors. One of the factors is assumed to be gender. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of gender in perception of pain intensity in people with chronic pain.Methods : The research method was comparative; and the statistical population consisted of patients aged 21-60 years with chronic pain referred to Mahan pain clinic and Arman comprehensive physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic in Tehran. 391 patients with a history of at least 3 months of chronic musculoskeletal pain were selected purposefully and responded to the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS).Results : The results of independent t-test for comparing pain intensity in two groups of men and women with 99% confidence showed that the perceived pain intensity in women with chronic pain was higher than men (p <0.001 ).Conclusion : Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that women perceive the intensity of pain more strongly than men. This may be due to various cognitive and social factors.

Keywords:

Perception , Pain intensity , Chronic pain , Gender